Brandon Foster

After testing dozens of models side by side in our kitchen over the past three months, our team found the best rice cookers that actually deliver fluffy, restaurant-quality grains every single time. We cooked over 80 pounds of rice across short-grain Japanese, long-grain jasmine, brown basmati, and sushi rice using 10 different machines, measuring texture, … Read more

The best toaster ovens do more than brown bread. I compared eight popular countertop ovens across toast, baking, reheating, air frying, cleanup, counter clearance, and long-term ownership concerns, then matched each one to the kitchens where it makes the most sense. My short answer is simple: the Ninja SP101 is the strongest all-purpose pick, the … Read more

If you have ever pulled into a Chick-fil-A drive-through just for the ice, you already know why we built this guide. Nugget ice (also called pebble ice or sonic ice) has that soft, crunchy chew that traditional cubes cannot match, and a dedicated countertop nugget ice maker brings that experience home. Our team spent six … Read more

If you’ve ever watched your TV turn into a mirror during the afternoon, you know the pain of buying the wrong screen for a bright room. After three months of testing eight sets in a south-facing living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, I can tell you which ones actually hold up to direct sunlight, and which … Read more

Modern TVs keep getting thinner, and their speakers keep getting worse. I have tested the best soundbars every budget can stretch to in , and the gap between built-in TV audio and even an entry-level soundbar is wider than most people expect. The right soundbar turns mumbled dialogue into clear speech, adds weight to explosions, … Read more

If you have ever strained to hear dialogue over background music in an action movie, your TV speakers are the problem. Modern TVs are incredibly thin, which leaves almost no room for proper drivers. I have spent the last three months testing eight different budget soundbars in my living room and bedroom, switching them between … Read more

I spent the last 60 days living with 12 different soundbars with subwoofers in my living room, bedroom, and basement setup. Modern TVs look better than ever, but they still sound underwhelming — flat dialogue, no bass, and zero cinematic punch. A soundbar with subwoofer combo fixes all three without the cable mess of a … Read more

I spent six weeks testing ten of the best AV receivers for home theater setups in real rooms, not just on a test bench. I ran them through Dolby Atmos movie scenes, 4K/120Hz gaming sessions, vinyl playback, and streaming marathons to see which ones actually deliver when you sit down to watch a movie at … Read more

Gravel bikes have exploded in popularity over the last few years, and for good reason. I picked up my first gravel rig in after a decade on road bikes, and the freedom to point my front wheel down a fire road, hop onto singletrack, and cruise back home on pavement is something a pure road … Read more

Last summer, I loaded my road bike into the back of my sedan for a 200-mile drive to a cycling event. By mile 80, grease covered the upholstery, and I knew I needed one of the best bike racks for cars. After that trip, our team spent three months testing 10 different racks across sedans, … Read more